


Thinking Back

by LiketheFox



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Hale Family Feels, M/M, The Hale Fire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-20
Updated: 2013-04-20
Packaged: 2017-12-09 00:35:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/767924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiketheFox/pseuds/LiketheFox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles had his own scent. Stiles smells like a pine forest at the end of summer. He has individual musky freshness.  Stiles smells like an old unused house, a house where you can see the dust floating in the sunlight that streams through ceiling high windows, like his old home.</p><p>“Dude what you staring at?”</p><p>Shit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thinking Back

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic guys. Thanks to the wonderful homo Amina (flamerainbow) for being my beta. Stay sassy biatch.

Derek stared at Stiles as he sat on the sofa of his new loft apartment. He still couldn’t quite believe that he liked him sometimes. I mean Stiles is skinny and sarcastic and so..... Stiles.  Derek still hadn’t told Stiles that he liked him, what’s worse is that Peter made him realise. It should take a genius to notice when Derek calms down and his face softens and who happens to be around at the time, however  Peter is genius, at least when it comes to sussing out potential couples.  Peter himself would never say this out loud but he has a soft spot for love and romance as Derek clearly remembers before the house burnt down his uncle had a collection of romantic comedies in his bedroom. 

All of them.

This is no exaggeration. Peter had owned and watched every rom-com ever, even the bad ones.  The smell of popcorn and soda still reminds Derek when his uncle would watch them downstairs in the living room, plus Peter would let him watch however Derek’s mom wouldn’t be too happy about it. Derek doesn’t really like smell popcorn anymore.

Stiles has distinct smell. It was different from other humans. It may be because his best friend is a werewolf, or maybe because he was just different.  For a werewolf it is hard to explain the difference in smell between a werewolf and a human.  However Stiles had his own scent. Stiles smells like a pine forest at the end of summer. He has individual musky freshness.  Stiles smells like an old unused house, a house where you can see the dust floating in the sunlight that streams through ceiling high windows, like his old home. 

“Dude what you staring at?”

_Shit._

Derek being the easily annoyed individual he is he just glares at Stiles to get him off his back. Stiles quickly turns back to the video game his playing with Scott.

“Sourwolf” Stiles smirked without even glancing from the TV screen.

They planned a Battlefield marathon at his house.  How he let them is something the puppies still question to this day. Derek obviously knows it’s because of his soft spot for that son of bitch.

Thinking of even attempting a relationship with someone even Stiles, scares Derek. It’s not just the thought of being committed to someone, or making the move its just the last time Derek attempted a relationship, his family got burnt alive inside their home. Derek knows nothing like that would happen with Stiles, every part of him feels safe with him. His voice was safe, his warmth was safe, his scent was safe.

After the fire, everything that had Derek's family’s scent was tinged with the dank and heavy scent of smoke. He's even forgotten the light, comforting smell of Laura, the only thing that still smelt of family. Before Stiles, it was the only thing that smelt safe.  He remembers that Kate never smelt like that. Kate smelt like a risk, she smelt like a thrill. Sometimes Derek thinks part of her appeal was that she never smelt of family.

She smelt of danger, now that he thinks of it she stunk of it; it dripped off her as if she bathed in it, as if she spent her life letting it wrap and writhe around her, as if she was danger itself.  If only he had seen it then. 

She was alluring and mystery lurked beneath that charming wiry smile, she was tall and curvy and lean and strong and she had wild, always penetrating eyes filled with expectation and threat. Derek was young and inexperienced. He never told his family about the brief affair, she being plenty older than him and the curse of her last name.  Argent.

They talked and laughed as much as any couple however Kate was more engrossed in the physical aspects of Derek Hale, the way she would worm information out of him, after he would feel as if he owed her something for his gratification. He’d give her anything for making him feel wanted or desired.

Then one day during English, he was learning about to Kill a Mockingbird, one of his favourites, having read it already and the principle knocked on the door. He was standing there with his sister, his face morose and dark. He could hear his heartbeat racing as he called Derek out of class and all the students went silent.  He took them to his office, his heart beat pumping violently.

The principle sat down at his desk in his office. Laura looked at Derek. She looked scared. He’d never seen his big sister look this scared before. She could sense it to. That something terrible had happened. Maybe it was hunters. Or maybe it was his human grandfather who had died or someone had fallen sick.

“Sit down. Please” the principle said sullenly.

They sat, and waited for the principle to speak. There were tears in his eyes.

“I am extremely sorry to have to tell you this however.....”  He took a deep breath. All Derek could hear was the quickening pace of his own heart. The principle looked up at them.

 “There was a large fire at your house... and... some of your family have sustained serious injury however most” he paused. His heart blipped, “died in the fire. Your mother and your uncle Peter are in hospital with very serious burns and smoke poisoning. I am so sorry”

Derek couldn’t even comprehend what was just said. He not could see or hear anything, like he had just been hit with a flash bomb. He had an intense ringing in his ears and his vision blurred. The principles words echoed in his ears.

**_Large fire at your house_ **

**_Serious injury_ **

**_Died in the fire_ **

**_In hospital_ **

**_Died in the fire_ **

**_Died in the fire_ **

**_Died in the fire_ **

 After what was the longest 30 seconds of his life, Laura broke the silence.

“Why would you say something like that? Wh- Why would you lie?”

 She stared from Derek to the principle. Derek only looked down **_Died in the fire_** as he could feel himself starting to change. He never lost control **_Died in the fire_** and he was getting angrier and angrier and he could hear his sister screaming at the principle **_Died in the fire_** and she could hear him trying to calm her down **_Died in the fire_** and Derek’s pulse climbed higher and higher until he ran.

He ran out of the office, **_Died in the fire_** out of the school, he saw the smoke billow into the sky **_Died in the fire_** and ran all the way home. He ran until he couldn’t run anymore and even then he kept on running. He ran to check if his family were still there, **_Died in the fire_** waiting for him. His human grandfather sitting on the porch having fallen asleep reading a book, his mother cooking dinner and his dad and his uncle Peter playing baseball ** _Died in the fire_** with his younger cousins, or his aunt, Peter’s wife teaching their six year old daughter how to draw. He ran to meet them. He ran to see their faces. They are going to be there, safe. They are. They will.

But when he got there, his house was surrounded by fire trucks and police cars. The overwhelming scent of smoke and ash filled his lungs like fire. He stood there. He just stood there. He stood there and stared at the wreckage of his home, all his life, all his memories gone.  The sudden awareness hit him like a lorry; like he had a weight tied around him as it dragged him down into a dark abyss. Everyone he ever loved was dead, or almost there. He knew even though his mom and his uncle where in hospital they couldn’t be far from their last breath.

Someone had noticed him standing there. The Sheriff walked over to him.

“Hi son, I’m Sheriff Stilinski. I-”

“What happened?” Derek said sternly.

The Sheriff stopped what he was saying abruptly and gave him a look, “A fire”

“What caused it?”

The sheriff looked at him suspiciously and crossed his arms.

“What’s your name, son?”

“Derek. Derek Hale”

The sheriff paused and his face softened. “I’m sorry. I assume you have been told?”

Derek looked down at his feet for a moment before steeling himself for the conversation “Yes”

“We don’t really know what caused it yet. We, well _I_ believe it wasn’t just a normal house fire”

“You mean it was arson?” Derek couldn't even try to hide the more than furious tone in his voice.

“I’m not gonna lie to you son, but I think it was. House this big, this much damage, with only two survivors, yes I think so. Listen son let me take you to the hospital; let you see your family. You shouldn’t be here right now.”

 Derek stared blankly at the Sheriff.

“Come on son”

Derek followed him to his car. If it had been arson then it must have been hunters, someone who knew who they were.  It would have to be someone reckless, someone bold, and someone dangerous.

He sat in the car all the way to the hospital, next to him sat some 10 year-old, staring at him with his game boy in his hand. He must have been the sheriff’s son.

The brown haired boy paused his game and turned to give Derek a curious look, “Are you okay?” the boy asked.

“Stiles please don’t bother him his house just burnt down and he’s going through a rough time.” The Sheriff said

“Was that your family going into the ambulances?” he asked again.

“Stiles!” the sheriff shouted.

“I’m sorry I was just asking”

“Yes. Yes it was” Derek tells him.

“I hope they are okay.”

“Me too.”

Derek arrived at the hospital, only to learn his mom lying had died in hospital. He’d never see her again, he’d never smell her, hear her laughing, smell her delicious cooking and he’d never _see_ her again. He is somewhat relived that he didn’t get to witness her after the fire. He couldn’t bring himself to look at what she looked like, scarred and burned. He could still detect the smell of burning flesh from where she had been wheeled in earlier that day. He couldn't bring himself to see his uncle until a year after.  

Even now he still experiences pangs of guilt, but mostly anger at himself on days when... well most days really until he met Stiles. Somehow Stiles’ smell, his scent of home makes him feel better. Derek looks at his face, his stupid, bizarre, lovely face. He still can’t believe he loves him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! If it gave you chest pains, comment please.


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